In this video I rebuild the power supply of a working ARP String Ensemble, explain how the power supply works (with math!) and why it’s so important that this be done on these instruments.
Author: synthchaser
Synthchaser #050 – ARP 2600 Grey Meanie Troubleshooting & Power Supply Rebuild
I begin the restoration of a very rare (one of ~35 made) ARP 2600 Grey Meanie. I bought this ARP totally dead and intend to do a full restoration of it before I sell it.
Its previous owner thought the power supply was broken, so we check it out and locate the real problem. But, as should be done with every vintage synth, we rebuild the power supply.
If you’d like me to make more videos as I repair and restore this ARP 2600, please let me know!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF80J4qNdtI
Synthchaser #049 – Yamaha SK10 Symphonic Ensemble Servicing & Demo
I give a quick demo of the functionality of the Yamaha SK-10 analog synthesizer, and perform a light service on it–cleaning switches and sliders and recapping the power supply. This keyboard is currently for sale on my site.
Synthchaser #048 – Tim’s ARP Omni 2 Restoration & Repair
I restore Tim’s broken ARP Omni 2, rebuilding the power supply, replacing all the polarized capacitors, enhancing the filter, adding my LED sliders, and refurbishing the keybed.
Synthchaser #045-047 – LinnDrum Repair Video Series
In this 3 part series, I repair a poor unfortunate LinnDrum that got wet and very ill.
In the first part, I take a look at some of the problems we’re having, displays are all 0’s, many sounds don’t work and there’s weird and random noise coming from the machine. We rebuild the power supply and clean the sliders and switches.
In this second part, we troubleshoot and repair the electronics causing several of the drum sounds not to work, and track down and repair the phantom “random noises” coming from the LinnDrum.
In the last part, we figure out why the LinnDrum always displays “00” and fix it. Then we install some rechargeable batteries and test everything out. LinnDrum is back to good health. Yay!
Oberheim OB-X Repair Video
I started rolling the video camera when I repaired a very sick Oberheim OB-X. Turns out it suffered some damage from the corrosive effects of mouse urine. We also see the dangers of leaving the old tantalum capacitors in synthesizers. I track down a memory retention issue causing the synth not to store patches correctly. I also show how to rebuild the OB-X power supply and change the battery.
Look for a full set of products in the shop to get your OB-X running smoothly and safely for years to come.
Easier Catalog Navigation
At last I finally improved the catalog navigation. Now you can easily browse products for different synthesizers using the dropdown “Shop” menu and it’s categorized submenus. You can also search the catalog (e.g. “slider” or “OB-Xa”).
Now available! ARP Slider Kits
Synthchaser is happy to announce that we are stocking replacement slider kits for most ARP synthesizers! Newly manufactured to the same specifications as the original CTS sliders, and priced more competitively than other replacement sliders on the market, a kit from Synthchaser is a no-brainer!
Precision LED kits are coming soon for more synthesizers and we will be stocking Moog sliders soon as well.
Shop now:
http://synthchaser.com/?s=slider+kit&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&submit=Search&post_type=product
ARP Omni 1 Restoration Video Series
Join me as I restore a broken ARP Omni 1.
In this first part, we evaluate the state of this Omni 1, and I discuss a little bit about what’s under the hood and my plan of attack for restoring it.
In the second part, we replace the aged tantalum capacitors in the synthesizer and visually inspect the boards for other signs of damage.
In this third part, we repair the power supply which had a few components go up in smoke, and we correct shoddy wiring left by the last person who worked on this.
In this final part we do a lot. We replace the old and gross sliders with blindingly bright blue LED sliders, perform an enhancement on the voltage controlled filter (VCF), replace some faulty switches. We also repair the strings not sounding stringy with a fix to the Phaser board.
Restored Omni synthesizers, parts, and repair service are available through my website. I’m also happy to answer any questions you may have about fixing your own synth.
Yet Another ARP Omni 2 Repair Video
Jeff had done a great job of recapping and replacing ICs in his ARP Omni 2, his soldering skills looked like a pro, but there were a few persistent issues that I fix in this video. The Violin, Cello, 4′ Synthesizer, and 8′ Synthesizer Bass voices weren’t working, and the release for the string was always long, regardless of the position of the release slider.
Join me in my favorite late night game of “Find The Short”. Seems like I get to play this game with every ARP I meet.
